New Georgia blueberry produces fruit up to four times the size of other plants

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• Released in 2012, Titan hasn’t been added to Georgia blueberry farmers’ fields yet, but it is available in limited supplies for homeowners.

A TITAN blueberry plant can produce berries ranging from twice to four times the size of traditional blueberries. This photo shows two berries from the same Titan plant. One berry is so large it almost covers the quarter it sets on.

When it comes to choosing fruit, most people reach for the biggest piece.

Titan, a new blueberry variety bred by a University of Georgia scientist, makes that an easy task. It produces berries two to four times the size of average blueberries.

“People like big strawberries and big blackberries. Now they can get big blueberries,” said Scott NeSmith, the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences researcher who bred the new variety.

The UGA Research Foundation has applied for a plant patent for Titan.

For commercial and homeowner use

Titan was designed for both commercial and homeowner use. NeSmith says backyard growers will like the berry size and so will visitors at pick-your-own farms. “Common sense tells you that picking blueberries by hand takes a long time. Not with Titan,” he said.

Average blueberries are usually a little smaller than a dime. NeSmith has seen Titan berries grow as large as a quarter. A rabbiteye blueberry, Titan is well suited for growing in Georgia and produces well in USDA hardiness zones 6a through 9a.

Released in 2012, Titan hasn’t been added to Georgia blueberry farmers’ fields yet, but it is available in limited supplies for homeowners.

“Right now, most nurseries have waiting lists for Titan plants. That’s how popular it is,” Nesmith said. “They have more orders than they do plants.”

Ask stores to stock Titan

He encourages homeowners to contact their local garden center and request the variety. “If enough people ask for it, hopefully the big box stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot will start carrying it,” NeSmith said.